Monday Bird Droppings: Enjoying an off day after a win

Happy Monday, Camden Chatters! Did you have a nice weekend? I did, topping it off with a trip to Camden Yards to see the Orioles defeat the Yankees to end the series. After the top of the first inning I had myself convinced that I was in for an afternoon of misery, but the Orioles proved me wrong. A great offensive performance and a heck of a showing from Bruce Zimmermann sent me and the other Orioles fans at the park home happy.

If you missed the game or just want to re-live the good times, check out Mark Brown’s game recap. Don’t forget to vote in the Most Birdland Player poll! I voted for Zimmermann, myself.

The Orioles are off today, which gives them another day to figure out what is going on with their starting rotation. John Means is scheduled to start Wednesday’s game against the Rays, but Tuesday and Thursday are still listed as TBD. I assume Matt Harvey and Dean Kremer would be slated in there, but we won’t know until we see it.

Those three and Jorge López are the starting rotation right now until something changes, which it will have to with the team having a stretch of 16 games with no off days starting on Tuesday. Assuming those four stay in place (and Brandon Hyde has indicated that López’s spot is safe for now), who is your pick to slot into that fifth spot? There is yesterday’s hero, Zimmermann, or the team could go with Keegan Akin or Zac Lowther.

Those three options have the benefit of already being on the 40-man roster. The only other starting pitchers on the 40-man but in the minors are Alexander Wells, who has had a tough go of things so far at triple-A, and Mike Baumann, who is rehabbing from an injury.

So yeah, the pitching could be in a better place.

Links

Zimmermann big in bulk role and Orioles win 10-6 - School of Roch
Roch's game recap has nice quotes from Bruce Zimmermann and Brandon Hyde.

Orioles top Minor League performers in 2021 week one - MLB.com
We're all about the minors as Orioles fans these days, and Joe Trezza has the top performers at each level so far.

Why Orioles farmhand Pat Dorrian, one of the minors’ hottest hitters, left pro ball to pursue his big league dream - Baltimore Sun
Speaking of the minors. Patrick Dorrian isn't a name you'll hear often when people talk about the improved O's system. But Jon Meoli has a nice story about him that reminds us how hard all of these young players are working to try and reach their dreams.

Birthdays and History

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have four Orioles birthday buddies. Jack Voigt, who spent parts of four seasons with the Orioles from 1992-95, turns 55 today. Happy birthday, Jack!

It’s also the birthday of trio of old timey Orioles. Jim McDonald (b. 1927, d. 2004) pitched in 21 games for the 1955 team. Billy Hoeft (b. 1932, d. 2010) pitched for the Orioles from 1959-62. And finally, Ozzie Virgil had one plate appearance for the Orioles in 1962. He took a walk! Today is Mr. Virgil’s 89th birthday, so a very happy birthday to him.

On this day in 2015, Mike Wright made his major league debut vs. the Angels and it was a beaut. He pitched 7.1 shutout innings with four hits, no walks, and six strikeouts. He followed it up with another gem against the Marlins, but things went downhill from there. After a year in Korea with the KBO champion NC Dinos, Wright is back in the states pitching for the triple-A Charlotte Knights (CWS).

In 2012, the Orioles beat the Royals 5-3 and, combined with a loss by the Tampa Bay Rays, put the Orioles in sole possession of first place in the A.L. East.

And finally, I leave you with this tweet of how our outfielders celebrate wins these days. Seems kinda dorky to me. This doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy it.